Pulsatile Tinnitus: How to Cure Pulsatile Tinnitus for Good

“As I turned the corner”, said my
wife when she reached home panting, “and saw that man
rushing up to me with a revolver pointed at my head, I
was so paralyzed with fear that I could almost hear my
heart beating loud and clear”. Now, this is absolutely
metaphorical, as none can possibly hear his or her own
heartbeat, no matter how sensitive the person could
possibly be. Nevertheless, a person suffering from
pulsatile tinnitus
can very well hear disturbing noises in the ear that
corresponds to the beating of the heart. This thumping
or whooshing sound that is often referred to as vascular
tinnitus is mostly related to disturbed or erratic blood
flow in the head, apart from a host of other causative
issues.

Pulsating Tinnitus – Causes and Contributing
Factors

Clinically speaking, there could be
several factors related to pulsatile
tinnitus
which include narrowing of the blood
vessels reaching the head or neck region, sudden
increase in blood flow within that sensitive area,
highly fluctuating blood pressure, chain smoking habit,
etc., all ofwhich will be discussed in detail later. However,
one thing should be borne in mind that the distressing
sounds heard in the ear are not imaginary or invented
but are very much real. Also, this disease is totally
different from continuous tinnitus that usually results
from damage caused to the Cochlea and/or the hearing
nerve. However, one may have both Pulsatile as well as
continuous tinnitus together though the former is more
distressing than the latter.

Atherosclerotic
Carotid Artery Disease is linked to narrowing of the
artery from cholesterol build up on the arterial
walls, which blocks the normal flow of blood surge,
thus giving rise to distressing sounds in the ear
(Pulsatile Tinnitus). It usually occurs in seniors
with a history of diabetes, hypertension, angina and
heavy smoking. May respond to OTC medications
accompanied by untoward side effects. Read more here
.

Benign
Intracranial Hypertension also causes Pulsatile Tinnitus
due to increased pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid
that surrounds the brain. Patients suffering from this
mostly consist of young overweight females who also
complaint of dizziness, headache, hearing loss and
visual problems. Weight reduction regime often cures
symptoms. Read more here.

Glomus
Tumor which is generally benign in nature,
consisting mostly of mass of intertwined tissues
and blood vessels, often found in the ear or immediately
below it can also cause Pulsatile Tinnitus.
With younger people, surgery sometimes provide
relief while with older ones, nothing much is required
to be done since these tumors are invariably slow
growing. However, thorough investigation, including
MRI must be undertaken before opting for surgery,
since surgical operations above the neck are generally
considered hazardous. Read more here
.

Middle
Ear Effusion can cause Pulsatile Tinnitus
too. Accumulation of fluid in the middle ear (which
normally remains filled with air) due to infection or
inflammation of the Eustachian tube or its dysfunction
can give rise to abnormal sounds in the ear. Generally
responds to antibiotics, nasal sprays, decongestants,
etc. Read more here
.

Intracranial
Vascular Lesions often
cause Pulsatile Tinnitus due to aneurism and
arterio-venous malformation that is represented by an
abnormal or irregular connection between the artery
and the vein. Under normal conditions, blood flows
directly from a high pressure to a subordinate vein,
bypassing the capillaries. But such aneurism or
arterio-venous malformation does not only create
Pulsatile Tinnitus, it can also lead to bleeding in
the brain with fatal consequences. Therapies include
surgery and, if possible, embolzing of the affected
blood vessels as well. Proper consultation with
surgeons needed before opting for
surgery.

Twisted
Arteries in the
head or neck tends to affect the normal flow of blood
to the above regions, thus causing pulsatile tinnitus.
This may or may not coincide with the beating of the
heart, but nonetheless is equally distressing to the
person.

Hypertension
often causes pulsatile
tinnitus
which gets controlled when
the pressure is reduced with appropriate
medication.

However,
most of the therapies discussed above have met with very
poor or limited results while conventional medications
have given rise to more complications than the disease
itself. Even homeopathic cures, herbal or home
treatments often prove to be of little effect for the
simple reason that they address the symptoms and not the
disease itself. So the best approach to treat tinnitus
is to reach within the body and identify all the
contributing factors (and there can be many of them)
that are causing the problem. And once the real root
causes have been identified, then the right treatment
can for sure provide the cure.